Larkcall Lowlands spider besider

For reference, I'm kinda assuming this happens after Craw and Cel went to BTP and nabbed Maeve, hence why he knows about BTP. Also, since it's after the date he met Merys, also assuming that Greer and Cel have since done their WFN recon and reported back - but as yet am keeping whatever Craw knows about them vague. Only expecting it to be general information anyway.

See, this was how amiable, diplomatic leaders interacted. Entirely satisfied with Lachesis' manner, Craw glanced at the ghost's companion in silent acknowledgement before resting his attention back on the white wolf. Just like @Wraith, the subordinate girl said nothing, out of respect for the fact that they were present to an exchange between two wolves more powerful than themselves. If it was indicative of the kind of respect Hearthwood River members showed each other, Craw could see their packs getting along just fine.

The answer of the pack's age came easily, and was a mixed bag; a year was hardly well established, but nor was it young. It was a longer period of settlement than Whitestone could boast, anyway. While already listening attentively, an ear nevertheless perked up at the implication that Lachesis was familiar with the more southern packs, and wondered if that meant that Whitestone's birth pack (pah!) would also be known. But that line of questioning was put on hold as the ghost went on to say something even more interesting.

"Indeed?" he said, clearly intrigued. While the word Lachesis had chosen was entirely open to interpretation on its own, the grimace which had accompanied it said everything. "For our part, we are already aware of the Pines wolves to your south, and there is another to our own near the springs, but we have not yet made formal contact. I can't say I care much for either group. Are you referencing one of them, perhaps, or a third? I would be interested in what you know of any of them."

Dissent among the packs. That much was clear by the curl of lip from Hearthwood's Alpha. Craw had caught onto it as well, vocalizing his interest in the subject. While Wraith was more than willing to stick around and listen to the pair talk, he could be more useful elsewhere. Amber eyes fell to @Lilya once again. Perhaps while the Alphas conversed, he could convince the female to walk with him so he could garner some information of his own to report to Craw later. "Excuse me," he murmured, inclining his head respectfully to his Alpha and then Lachesis. "If it would not trouble the pair of you, I'd like to take Miss Lilya for a walk." He smiled kindly before his gaze returned to Lilya. "If it should please you, of course. There is a lake nearby should you care for a drink." It mattered little to Wraith if any of them should take it as flirtations from one subordinate to another or not so long as the request was accepted. At least then, he could feel more useful than standing around acting as a stony monolith. While Craw was gleaning information about nearby packs, perhaps he could gather some on Hearthwood itself. They were friendly enough face-to-face, but both males had been bitten enough with the harshness between pack ranks that could mean ugliness later. Getting a sense of the woman could help determine if this pack was really an ally they wanted.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

@Lilya @Wraith @Craw sorry for the wait! <3

While the golden-eyed wolf before him was an intimidating specimen, he was very methodical in the way he spoke. He did not speak instinctively, or loudly; but spoke with purpose, each word deliberately placed in front of the other. This was the type of wolf XIX wanted to be aligned with; someone who knew what they were doing, despite their pack’s age. He watched, patiently, as Craw assessed what he had shared with him. It was obvious that the spider was intrigued by his mention of the White Fir pack. The monadnock wolves had not yet had the pleasure of encountering the estranged group. “That is the one I am referring to — White Fir Notch,” Lachesis responded as Craw mentioned his knowledge of the wolves near the spring. “The Pines wolves are good to have on your side. Aside from a mutual respect for each other, we keep our distance.” He shrugged to show his indifference to his southern neighbours. While he respected Koda, he did not have a relationship with the rest of the pack. As Wraith interjected Lachesis held his tongue, his chartreuse gaze fixated on the shadow before falling onto his subordinate. A soft smile rolled onto his lips at the suggestion. He gave her an encouraging look before returning his focus to Craw. Perhaps Lilya would be able to get a little more intel from the spider’s second; which was probably what Wraith intended to do.

With his gaze resting on the silver wolf, Lachesis spoke again: “The leader of White Fir used to lead a pack by the name of Round Stone Crest. He dissolved our alliance months ago, so Hearthwood does not waste any time with them.” Another shrug. While Lachesis had no quarrels with the wolves of the Notch, he did not deem them worthy of his time. “I have also heard whispers of a group of wolves in the lowlands,” he added, an ear twitching at the thought of an additional threat. The lowlands was far too close to both Kingsfall and Whitestone; surely Craw would not be amused by the idea of them settling down either. 

(This post was last modified: Aug 24, 2016, 04:02 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

She was carefully listening to what was being said between leaders, not fully invested in the conversation as she had no role to play in it, but instead she merely observed it, taking note on facial features and saving information to her memory… until the second of the Monadnock spoke, requesting her presence elsewhere… while she was confused and slightly more cautious, she did not let it show. She had no reason as of yet to think they meant to cause harm, and if they did, she was certain she could take care of herself… her mind always flew to whether or not she’d be able to defend herself in a situation.

Her head turned a little, glancing at Lachesis who was giving her an encouraging nod, returning a respectful dip of the head before glancing back at Wraith with a kind smile in return. “I’d love to.” The first words she had said the entire meeting! It would be good to try and learn more, would it not? This other pack was a group of strangers to not just her, but her leader as well, and thus she’d do what she could to ensure that things could indeed remain diplomatic if not friendly towards each other.

She took a few steps out to the side, giving him room to lead the way.

really sorry! If @Wraith and @Lilya want to start their own thread that's cool by me! And I'm not entirely sure what he'd realistically know about Dressie and co at this point because I'm getting my timelines messed up so... like normal, gonna go with keepin' it vague and little.

Craw nodded slowly as Lachesis confirmed they were talking about the same groups, glad to be on the same page. He was also pleased - not that it was so important - that Hearthwood and the Pines were not particularly close, as suggested by the white wolf's dismissive body language. Craw did not doubt that he had offended the pack by the Falls by his most rude attempt to say hello (though he had walked away with one of their number, so wasn't entirely innocent) and he would have had to face the possibility of making amends with them if it had turned out they were at all important to this closer pack. Fortunately, they were not, and from what he had gleaned from the visit and Maeve, Broken Timber Pines was not a pack whose opinion he needed to worry about.

He had not had time to respond before Wraith made his polite interruption, and Craw glanced to his own packmate as Lachesis mirrored it, and it was perfectly clear that the leader had no issue with the suggestion. When the woman herself made no objection, Craw dipped his head, turning to touch his nose to Wraith's cheek briefly in wordless approval. Both wolves would use it as an opportunity to learn more of the other's pack, but knowing Wraith he would be far more charming and personable about it than most wolves Craw knew. With permission given from both sides, the spider turned his attention back onto Lachesis, who continued their line of conversation without hesitation.

A faded alliance was one thing, but a dissolved one quite another - what could have caused that, and which side was to blame? There was a story to hear there, but Craw would have to earn it. The final remark was the one which brought an ear twitching up and forward. "Other than ourselves, you mean? It is a vast stretch of land... so perhaps it is not unlikely, but my scouts have found nothing within half a day of us. Certainly no established packs; yourselves and White Fir Notch are closest to us." He would make sure that Greer and Celandine broadened their typical search areas. If there were any groups forming then he wanted to know about it.

And it was time to pay information with the same, and at the same time explain their lack of familiarity with the area. "We all came from further south, leaving a weak pack behind, and travelled north as long as we could until my mate's condition prevented her from being able to anymore." A thin smile, a small joke - business didn't have to be dour. He liked Lachesis well enough to relax a little. "We've been busy ever since trying to establish ourselves and become familiar with the land and new neighbours. I must say yours is the first pack I've encountered which seems to have any sense of decorum. It makes a nice change."

Honestly too lazy to make a new one. Could just as easily fade. Up to you @Lilya. @Lachesis, @Craw

To Wraith, it spoke well that Lachesis was not offended by him speaking up. He surmised the male must have a similar relationship with his own Second, or at least appreciated the free-thinking enough to smile about it. Pleased, the brute wagged his tail sedately and returned Craw's affectionate nudge with one of his own to the Alpha's shoulder. "We'll be back," he assured the pair of pale colored wolves before inclining his head to Miss Lilya with a smile. Rather than asking that she go ahead of him which would leave her back turned to a stranger or asking her to follow him which would leave his back to her, Wraith simply waited for the female to fall in step with him and then gently guided her towards the pond he had mentioned previously. He could have leaped right into business and delved charmingly into learning about her pack. Instead, Wraith started by offering her information about himself first, hoping she may be more willing to share in kind. "As Craw was explaining before, we came from a pack down south, but I actually originally hail even farther north than the Monadnock. Past the mountains for a long while. I missed having that height advantage down in those flatlands. What about you, Miss Lilya? Have you been with your pack for a long time?" he asked as they walked.

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

The river wolves had always dealt with some sort of threat since abandoning the rapids many, many moons ago. Whether it be environmental or territorial, there had always been something preventing them from settling down. After a little shuffling around they had finally come across a stretch of land that truly felt like home, and they were not willing to give it up without a fight. Hearthwood would not move a third time, Lachesis would make sure of that.

He nodded, lips tight, at the spider’s question. “I keep stumbling across the same scents — some old, some new — west of us. Always the same ones. I haven’t noticed any other activity, but we’ve been trying to keep an eye on the lands.”  As long as no packs sprouted near Kingsfall the pale healer would be content. With children among their numbers it would be unwise of them to fight for their territory now — especially with their numbers at a standstill. Which was precisely why the ghost was seeking some sort of alliance with these new neighbours; he did not want to risk their position in the north.

“We faced a similar situation last year,” Lachesis commented with a soft smile rolling across his pale maw. “The northern lands are a nice change from the south,” he started, the tip of his tail wagging in agreement, “along with the decrease in borders to tiptoe around.” Until the Whitestone wolves had settled in, the river wolves had free range of the north. Luckily for them, it appeared their new neighbours were not to be avoided. “We have avoided some of the nearby packs for the same reason,” Lachesis commented with a raised brow and a crooked grin. The longer he spoked with the silver wolf the more he enjoyed his company and the words that dripped off his tongue. 

@Lilya @Craw @Wraith

stick with those who stick with you

This encounter made the woman nervous, not that she’d ever dare considering to show such a fact to someone she wasn’t sure she could trust. They both were kind, but she knew very well that politics was always two-faced, even with the best of wolves. He spoke first, offering information about himself but she did not believe she’d do the same, no to the magnitude that he had at least. “M’not a founding member or anything, but I’ve been with ‘em for quite a while.” Of course, that was all a matter of opinion. She’d been with them for about a month, but he didn’t know that and he didn’t need to know that.

“Ah also came from the north – a war riddled pack with endless pointless fighting.” She made a point of saying that because it implied two things – Lachesis and Kisla had seasoned fighters, but also, they did not fight for the sake of fighting, only if they needed to… and if they needed to, then they could defend themselves. “So you helped found th’pack?” She asked curiously, latching onto his words about how they’d come from the south before moving farther north. They were relatively new, she knew that much, but that didn’t mean all of their members had been there from the getgo.

Wrapping this up since there is a newer one for Craw and Lach, and both Vet and Namara have agreed <3

Craw's mouth set in a hard line as Lachesis spoke of recurring scents, the implications obvious... searching his memory for anything of the same, he did recall coming across traces of the same pair of wolves, a male and female, a number of times. They seemed to be lingering to the south, and occasionally with company, and most recently with a child, but - but they were clearly loners, were they not? Or they had been originally, which is why he had dismissed them as a problem. Maybe that had been a mistake.

He would have to investigate.

Any sourness in his manner was softened when Lachesis spoke the truth that the north was a welcome change to the south, something which Craw could hardly have agreed more about. Even the possibility of irksome neighbours could hardly compare to the fact of untrustworthy and unreliable packmates. Whatever they might face, Craw knew that Whitestone would endure. The monadnock had been found worthy, after all.

Opening his mouth to reply, Craw had barely gotten a syllable out when a familiar voice rang out across the plains behind them, its origin unmistakable as he knew the caller intimately. "It seems our presence is required," he wheezed, with an apologetic roll of his shoulders, glancing back to where he could see @Wraith talking quietly with @Lilya. There would be plenty of opportunities to continue the discussion. Looking to Lachesis, he inclined his head out of respect for the pack friendship which had just been born. "I'll come back; I would like to finish this discussion. Alas, I dare not ignore my mate when she calls." He snorted in good humour, moving away with a dip of his head, turning towards his Second in order to collect him on their way back to the monadnock. Did Lachesis have a lady of his own? Many questions turned about in his head, cogs steadily turning, but they would have to wait.

Pulling back his head he let Morganna know that he was on his way, and along with Wraith they headed back home, Craw's head buzzing with possibility.